OffTrackBetting.com – The G2 La Cañada Stakes goes down this Saturday, January 14 at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. Fillies and mares four years old and upward will be after the winner’s portion of the $200,000 purse when they take to Santa Anita’s dirt track and race 1 1/16 miles.
A short field of just five will take to the track in the La Cañada Stakes – race 5 on Santa Anita’s Saturday schedule. Post time is 2:30 PM. Here is a peek into the past performances of all five entries for this intriguing G2 stakes – four of which took part in the G2 Bayakoa Handicap at Del Mar December 3.
2017 La Cañada Stakes Entries at Santa Anita Park
Vale Dori – Bob Baffert trained Argentinean bred filly has five wins, three seconds and a third place finish in 10 starts all around the world including a win in a Group 1 race at home in May, 2015, a second in the UAE Oaks and an OK fourth, 1 1/2 lengths back in the Group 2 UAE Derby at Meydan in March of 2016. She has five North American starts – a good three length win as 1-2 favorite last time out in the G2 Bayakoa Handicap at Del Mar December 3 followed an impressive 10 1/4 length win in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Santa Anita October 28 (her last two wins were at the La Cañada distance), a respectable third behind champions Stellar Wind and Beholder in the G1 Zenyatta Stakes on this track October 1, a 3 1/2 length win in the minor Tranquility Lake Stakes at Del Mar August 31 and a second in an Allowance Optional Claiming on that track August 3. Vale Dori has been a serious factor in every race so far in her career and is expected to be again Saturday. 5. Mike Smith has been tabbed to ride from the rail.
Wild At Heart – has placed in eight of nine career starts for trainer Richard Mandella – two wins, four seconds and two third place finishes. She arrives off a respectable runner-up finish behind Vale Dori in the G2 Bayakoa Handicap at Del Mar December 3. That followed a career worst effort – an eighth in the G3 Senator Ken Maddy Stakes at Santa Anita November 5, a decent second in the G3 LA Woman Stakes on this track October 9 and an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Los Alamitos September 17. She also had a third behind the terrific Stellar Wind in the G1 Santa Anita Oaks April 4. Outside of one bad effort two starts back, Wild At Heart has been competitive every time out – she has placed in all three graded stakes dirt races. Flavien Prat will try to get Wild At Heart her first stakes score from post 3.
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Show Stealer – Art Sherman trained filly has three wins, two seconds and three third place finishes in 19 career starts. She made her graded stakes debut last time out and finished fourth in the G2 Bayakoa Handicap at Del Mar December 3. Before that was an OK third in the minor Southern Truce Stakes at Santa Anita July 3, an Allowance Optional Claiming score on this track in May and a second and a fourth respectively in another two Allowance Optional Claiming races to start last year. Show Stealer has placed in three of her last four starts ahead of this weekend and enters in OK form. She tries to make a statement with Tyler Baze guiding her from gate 2.
Autumn Flower – has just three wins and two third place finishes in 13 career starts for trainer Dan Hendricks. She made her stakes debut last time out and finished sixth in the G2 Bayakoa Handicap at Del Mar December 3. Before that was a two race win streak – both Allowance Optional Claiming races at Santa Anita with the last coming October 16 and one coming in August. Autumn Flower has certainly been up and down in her career so far and will be out for a first stakes win Saturday with Drayden Van Dyke aboard from the outside post 5.
Enduring Erin – Richard Baltas trained mare has 32 career starts with seven wins, three seconds and three third place finishes. She makes her stakes debut Saturday having placed in four of her last five starts (3 wins over that span). Last time out was an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Del Mar November 11 which followed a third and another win respectively in another pair of Allowance Optional Claiming races. Enduring Erin has been OK against lesser competition so far and hopes that translates in her step up in competition Saturday. Corey Nakatani gets the call from gate 4.
2017 La Cañada Stakes Odds & Entries
Race 5 on Santa Anita’s Saturday card with a Post Time of 5:29 PM.